Bothell, WA – 2013 will be another record-setting year for UW Bothell. More than 1,400 students will receive bachelors and master’s degrees, topping last year’s graduate numbers by more than 200.

The institution’s sustainability efforts also continue to grow. As more than 900 students take the stage in their graduation regalia during the 22nd Commencement Ceremony, landfills will be saved from more 20,000 water bottles. This year’s graduation regalia are made from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic bottles. After commencement, graduates will have the option to keep their regalia as a souvenir or recycle it in bins provided at the ceremony, to be reprocessed yet again into a new product.

Graduation coordinator Lisa Walker says the decision to go with green gowns was a no-brainer, “The university is always looking for ways to be more sustainable,” Walker notes, adding that “since the gowns we were using were single-use, eventually ending up in landfills, we figured why not go with gowns that are recyclable, and give the students the option to keep or recycle them.”

In addition to UW Bothell’s record number of graduates and its major effort toward sustainability, commencement attendees will have the honor of hearing the keynote address from Oscar Arias. The two-time President of Costa Rica and Nobel Laureate will receive an honorary degree from the University of Washington for his remarkable and heroic contributions to world peace and prosperity.

Arias is credited for successfully convening the Presidents of El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua in 1987 to agree to a peace agreement. For his tireless efforts to bringing peace to Central America, Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that same year.

About UW Bothell: With more than 30 degrees, options, certificates and concentrations, the college curriculum emphasizes close student-faculty interaction, and critical thinking. UW Bothell prepares students for leadership in the state of Washington and beyond. For more information, visit www.uwb.edu.

Did You Know?

Fifty-one percent of UW Bothell's first year students are the first in their families to attend college.